File Photo of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (AFP Photo)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will host Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu next on Thursday for talks, as part of a regular annual meeting of the two countries' cabinets.
The two leaders will hold bilateral talks before joining a plenary with ministers from both sides, in what would be the sixth such meeting.
Such "government consultations" is a format Germany has with only a handful of countries, including India and China.
Germany is widely seen as Israel's strongest European ally but their ties have been strained in recent years.
Netanyahu strongly opposes a deal hammered out between six world powers including Germany and Iran ending a 13-year standoff over the Islamic republic's nuclear program.
And Merkel has frequently joined Western leaders in criticising Israel's settlements in the West Bank.